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Welcome to Future-state Thinking, my weekly newsletter where I give actionable content, insights and tools for business and personal growth from my experience as an innovator and entrepreneur.
If you’re looking for my Cheat Sheets and Infographic PDFs, the vault is at the bottom of this email!
Hi Reader,
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Why Innovation Initiatives Can Fail In Execution
Innovation is often seen as a necessary way for companies to continue to win, but the reality is that many initiatives fail – not because of bad ideas but because of poor execution.
Unanticipated obstacles, hidden assumptions, and resource constraints can derail even the most promising projects.
One of the most effective tools to prevent innovation failure is the Project Pre-mortem, a technique that helps teams anticipate and mitigate risks before they become roadblocks.
Research by Deborah J. Mitchell, Jay Russo, and Nancy Pennington found that prospective hindsight—imagining an event has already occurred—can improve the ability to identify reasons for future outcomes by 30%. This insight underscores the power of post-mortems in project planning.
Using Pre-mortems to Identify Risks
A pre-mortem is a strategy review exercise where teams imagine that a project has failed in the future and then work backwards to determine what led to its failure.
This method, developed by Gary Klein and highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, reveals potential resource and implementation issues early on, allowing teams to address them proactively.
Unlike traditional risk assessments, the pre-mortem assumes the “patient” – the project – has already failed.
This shift in perspective encourages team members to surface concerns they might otherwise hesitate to share, fostering a more candid discussion of potential risks.
Why is it useful?
- Encourages teams to uncover hidden assumptions and vulnerabilities.
- Helps prioritise critical risks before they become real problems.
- Strengthens decision-making by testing strategies against worst-case scenarios.
- Reduces overconfidence bias and groupthink by making it safe to voice concerns.
- Helps to design out issues ahead of time.
When should you use it?
Pre-mortems are most effective before significant resources are committed, ensuring that adjustments can be made at a minimal cost. They are particularly valuable in high-stakes, complex projects where failure would have a significant impact.
How does it work?
- The project team is briefed on the plan.
- The leader announces, “Imagine it’s a year from now, and the project has failed spectacularly. What went wrong?”
- Team members individually brainstorm reasons for failure – especially those they might not normally voice.
- The group discusses and prioritises risks, addressing key concerns before execution.
- Strategies are developed to prevent or mitigate these risks, strengthening the project’s resilience.
Building a Safety Net Before the Tightrope Walk
Implementing innovation without a pre-mortem is like walking a tightrope without a safety net. The risks are real, and a misstep can have costly consequences.
However, by preparing for potential pitfalls ahead of time, organisations can create a buffer – turning potential failure into a learning opportunity rather than a costly mistake.
Call to Action
If your team is about to launch a new initiative, consider running a pre-mortem workshop.
Take the time to identify hidden risks, clarify assumptions, and develop contingency plans.
You’ll set your innovation up for long-term success by anticipating challenges before they arise.
See you next week,
Vaughan
Helping 34,751 smart people learn human-centred innovation
P.S. You can still get a big discount, early-bird perks, behind the scenes content and new resources by joining 109+ other smart people on The DUCTRI Playbook waitlist.
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P.S… As promised on LinkedIn, click the button for my cheat sheets on innovation, strategy, and more!
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